The Commonwealth Foundation is mandated by its Member States to advance the interests of Commonwealth civil society. The Foundation seeks to nurture the growth of vibrant and free societies: championing the active and constructive participation of people in all aspects of governance.
The Advocacy and Creative Programme is central to our mission. While advocacy and creativity are two distinct strands of our work, this new programme signifies our commitment to integrating the arts into our advocacy and vice versa.
As Senior Manager, Advocacy and Creative Programme, you will have overall responsibility for the Advocacy and Creative Programme. Leading a diverse team of professionals, you will engage with policymakers, build partnerships with national and international entities, connect with storytellers and artists from around the world and play a pivotal role in designing, implementing, and overseeing events and engagements that will take you and your work to the global stage.
Your main responsibilities will include:
- Strategic planning: Developing programme work plans for the advocacy and creative programme around the Foundation’s key thematic areas – climate justice, health justice and freedom of expression – and ensuring that our advocacy and creative work is intertwined.
- Project management: Overseeing advocacy and creative initiatives, including planning, budgeting, execution, and learning.
- Stakeholder engagement: Building and maintaining effective working relationships with civil society leaders, senior government officials, diplomats, storytellers and creative practitioners, and other relevant partners.
- Convening civil society: Designing, convening, and nurturing spaces and platforms – both online and in-person – for civil society and artists to amplify their voice and work, discuss, debate and make recommendations for change.
- Cross-programme collaboration: Collaborate with the wider-Foundation, particularly in harmonising our advocacy and creative work with the Foundation’s expanded programme of grants to Commonwealth civil society.
- Event management: Designing and leading impactful platforms and events where civil society can come together and influence policymakers.
- Team leadership: Managing a team of diverse, dedicated professionals, providing guidance and coaching, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
- Monitoring and evaluation: Working with the wider team to track performance against our progress markers and collect evidence so that we can tell our story of change.
- Reporting: Preparing reports for our board of governors and communicating programme progress and impact to our stakeholders.
- Representing the Foundation: Attending and participating in meetings and events nationally and internationally.
We seek an individual with strong knowledge of international development and diplomacy, extensive experience in programme leadership and event management, and a demonstrated capacity to lead a high-performing team. An understanding of the power of art and creative expression is essential, preferably with experience of how the arts can bring about social change. Excellent communication and strategic thinking skills are essential, along with a highly practical, solutions-based mindset. Appropriate tertiary qualifications or additional experience in lieu of such qualifications are required.
The Foundation is proud of our welcoming and accommodating working environment. We strive to be a great place to work.
We offer generous holidays (almost seven weeks a year excluding public holidays). Fifteen percent of your salary is payable tax-free at stipulated periods in lieu of a formal superannuation scheme.
Foundation staff have access to our private health scheme, including dental cover.
We are based in Marlborough House, Pall Mall, central London. We are currently operating a flexible working policy which requires all staff to work from the office at least five days per fortnight including every Wednesday, and applicants must be able to affirm their capacity and willingness to work within this policy.
The Foundation celebrates diversity, and we are proud of our diverse and welcoming team. All qualified applicants already eligible to work in the UK will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status or pregnancy.
Thank you!
The Hg Foundation is recruiting a new Programme Officer to support our vision for the tech workforce of the future to harness the talents of all, regardless of their background. We help underrepresented groups to access high quality jobs in tech by supporting education and employment-based programmes across the UK, Europe and North America. Since 2020, we've committed $40m across 40+ partnerships, supporting over 70,000 young people and adults. This newly created role offers an excellent opportunity to begin or advance your career in the non-profit and social mobility sector.
As Programme Officer, you'll play a vital role in our ambitious growth plans for the centrally managed mA*ths Online Programmes, supporting their delivery across four leading universities. The remaining time will be split between assisting with our STEM Education partnerships and other strategic initiatives, including scoping and research, the set up and management of new partnerships, communications and collaboration across our network.
We're looking for someone with 1-2 years of workplace experience who brings a positive attitude, strong organisational and administrative skills and the ability to pursue tasks logically and independently. You'll need an analytical mindset, excellent written communication, plus a genuine commitment to creating fairer chances in tech.
No previous non-profit experience is required, as the role is an opportunity to learn about the foundation sector - but the role could suit someone who has supported outreach, widening participation, charity or volunteering initiatives, or has an interest in supporting underrepresented groups to succeed in education and employment.
Further information about the role including salary and benefits can be found in the application pack. The deadline for applications is midday on Monday 14 July 2025.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Royal Ballet and Opera continues to lead the way in opera, ballet, music and dance both live on stage and through multiple digital platforms, from live streaming to worldwide cinema screenings. Our Covent Garden theatre has been at the heart of London and British cultural life for three centuries. We are home to two world-class Companies: The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera. We could not maintain our reputation, the range of our work or our digital presence without the support of our philanthropists, funders, members, business partners and sponsors.
The Development and Advocacy Department (D&A) plays a vital role in this, by securing the Arts Council England grant (currently over £22m) plus raising over £41m revenue annually plus additional for capital, advocating to government and other influencers for our value and role in the community and sector, and in ensuring we deliver on our charitable mission, retain the best artists and crafts people, maintain our beautiful grade I listed building and continue to produce world class performances.
Working within an experienced, successful and highly committed department, this role will create, deliver and implement the strategy for the Membership Programmes (Friends and Patrons) at the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO), to meet agreed annual income targets (currently £10m in membership fees and events). Working closely with colleagues across departments, you will look at recruitment and retention, campaigns, events, review of products and services and ensure our sector leading offering is effectively delivered.
Our ideal candidate will be a natural leader, who will adeptly manage a large team to meet objectives and work to high performance standards. They will have the ability to operate effectively at all levels and across functions, building strong relationships and driving a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing.
They will be able to demonstrate:
- Extensive experience of running and growing philanthropic income from large scale membership programmes in performing arts/ museum/ wider charity sector, with up-to-date knowledge of tax and other technical issues
- Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, with ability to inspire and influence a wide range of stakeholders
- The ability to drive and deliver a successful season plan for key moments when tickets go on sale and audience engagement
- Excellent programme and project management skills, with a track record of achieving demanding goals to tight deadlines
- The ability to refine and deliver a programme of benefits and events for members, working with multi-disciplinary teams for delivery
- Significant experience in setting objectives, establishing systems and allocating workload and resources effectively for direct reports and their teams
Closing date for applications: 8am, Monday 14th July 2025
1st stage interviews will be held 21st - 23rd July
2nd stage interviews will be held 29th July onwards
Applicants must have work authorisation for the UK. No agencies.
Registered Charity
501 - 1000
Our Covent Garden theatre has been at the heart of London and British cultural life for three centuries. We are home to two world-class Companies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.